Questions about the nature of money have gained a new urgency in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. Even as many people have less of it, there are more forms and systems of money, from local currencies and social lending to mobile money and Bitcoin. Yet our understanding of what money is--and what it might be--hasn't kept pace. In The Social Life of Money, Nigel Dodd, one of today's leading sociologists of money, reformulates the theory of the subject for a postcrisis world in which new kinds of money are proliferating. What counts as legitimate action by central banks that issue currency and set policy? What underpins the right of nongovernmental actors to create new currencies? And how might new forms of money surpass or subvert government-sanctioned currencies? To answer such questions, The Social Life of Money takes a fresh and wide-ranging look at modern theories of money. One of the book's central concerns is how money can be wrested from the domination and mismanagement of banks and governments and restored to its fundamental position as the "claim upon society" described by Georg Simmel. But rather than advancing yet another critique of the state-based monetary system, The Social Life of Money draws out the utopian aspects of money and the ways in which its transformation could in turn transform society, politics, and economics. The book also identifies the contributions of thinkers who have not previously been thought of as monetary theorists--including Nietzsche, Benjamin, Bataille, Deleuze and Guattari, Baudrillard, Derrida, and Hardt and Negri. The result provides new ways of thinking about money that seek not only to understand it but to change it. Complete with a new preface that discusses recent developments in the evolution of money, the book draws out the ways in which its transformation could in turn radically alter society, politics, and economics.

About the Author
Nigel Dodd is professor of sociology at the London School of Economics. He is the author of The Sociology of Money and Social Theory and Modernity.

Reviews
"An exhaustive analysis of money as a complex social process--not a thing--that will appeal to scholars in many fields."--Kirkus Reviews "Dodd presents a wide-ranging and sophisticated review and integration of the academic work related to alternative conceptions of modern money... [T]his is a richly rewarding book. Those of us accustomed to thinking of money as something we exchange for beer and pizza will never again have such a simple story."--Pietra Rivoli, Financial Times "Nigel Dodd's The Social Life of Money is fascinating."--Diane Coyle, Enlightened Economist "Exhaustively researched... Unexpected and fascinating."--BizEd "[T]his brilliant book helps reconsidering views, opinions and theoretical claims on money that might be taken for granted too easily. It is a must-read for any scholar interested in the topic as it helps to better understand the nature of money--or, of monies. Also, surely many future in-depth case studies of particular forms of money will gain enormously from this work."--Philipp Degens, LSE Sociology "As this book copiously shows, money is probably one of the most used concepts in the social sciences and the humanities, not counting economics... A significant accomplishment"--Alex Preda, American Journal of Sociology "This book is a serious but enjoyable read that is highly recommended for all; for laypeople, students, professional academics, basically anyone who is interested in the role of money in society. This book will undoubtedly lead the reader to reflect on some innovative and alternative ways to think about social reform and how reinventing money could improve our societies. It is a volume of creative experimentation that can be returned to again and again; there is much to digest and ponder here."--Tamara d'Auvergne, Symbolic Interaction



Book Information
ISBN 9780691169170
Author Nigel Dodd
Format Paperback
Page Count 464
Imprint Princeton University Press
Publisher Princeton University Press
Weight(grams) 624g